


the darker side

by dryadfiona



Series: the journey of us [2]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Mazeve and Candy/Ella, Dealing With Trauma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Religious Conflict, background canon relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:07:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27389941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dryadfiona/pseuds/dryadfiona
Summary: Things are good. The Sinnerman's in jail, pretty much everyone's in on the big celestial secret, and Chloe and Lucifer have decided to give it a real shot. Unfortunately, the Devil's got more enemies than just Cain, and Chloe's got more issues to work thorugh than she realized.
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar
Series: the journey of us [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904215
Comments: 77
Kudos: 87





	1. everything's okay. no, really!

"So," Chloe says.

Ella, Maze, Linda, Eve, and Candy all stare back at her. It's unsurprisingly intimidating; Maze's grin is sharp-edged, Ella's look of wide-eyed innocence is utterly unconvincing, and Linda and Candy share the same shrewd expression.

"Everything's okay."

Eve tilts an imperious eyebrow. It might work better if she wasn't smirking.

"No, really!" Chloe says with a grin. "I mean, the construction on the penthouse was--obnoxious, but Trixie needed an actual room--" And they needed a _door_ between them and Trixie, not that she's going to say that to _this_ crowd. "And that's done with anyway. Work's fine--good--and things are just...good! They're really good."

"Anyone who says good that much is lying," Maze says. "Right?"

"Things really could just be fine," Linda says, taking another drink of water. "Hm. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you two! It just sort of seemed like your relationship would be full of conflict for a bit."

"I mean, we did have to pretend to be together for several months before either of us actually talked about it," Chloe points out.

"Still such a dumb plan," Candy says, even gigglier now that she's downed at least two of Ella's drinks in addition to her own. Ella doesn't seem to mind, if the starry-eyed look on her face every time she glances over at her girlfriend is any indication.

"You got fake married to him first," Chloe says, relieved to find she's no longer jealous.

"Yeah, but he makes dumb plans," Candy says. "You're supposed to be smart. Honestly, how old even is he, he acts like some dumb college student sometimes."

There's a beat of silence--Candy's not normally in town, and they've gotten so used to being open about everything. The most awkwardness now is a weird look from servers who seem to think they're just _really_ into video games or something.

"He's not, like, twenty-two or something, right?" Candy asks.

"No," Maze says, seemingly unaffected. "He's older than he looks."

"Okay," Candy says. "What about--"

"Candy, look," Ella says. As attempts at distractions go, it's pretty obvious, but also undeniably effective, since Candy sees the claw machine and immediately drags Ella over.

The four of them that are left let out a little sigh.

"It's weird," Linda says after a long beat. "Everyone knowing."

"Yeah," Chloe agrees. "Yeah! It's so weird!"

"Eh," Maze says.

"Yeah, it's never _been_ a secret to me," Eve says.

"Says the demon and the first person in heaven," Chloe says. Eve scrunches up her nose at the mention of heaven. Chloe's got to ask her about that one day, but it makes her--a little nervous, to think about dying, now that she _knows_ , so she'll wait. Maze just nods, grin slipping a bit. Chloe's about to pry, but thinks better of it, especially with the thoughtful glance Eve shoots Maze.

"Anyway," Linda says, seemingly sensing the tension. "Charlotte told me the case is going well."

"Yeah," Chloe says, sitting up. "Our evidence is pretty air-tight, we even had enough to get some people in the Sinnerman's organization to flip." Privately, she thinks it might have had more to do with Devil, an angel, and a demon beating the shit out of Pierce and several of his guards than their evidence, but thinking about that makes her feel a little uncomfortable, so she'll stick with the evidence they got.

Besides, the evidence was enough for even Charlotte's old firm to refuse to take on Pierce as a client, and _fuck,_ if that wasn't satisfying to hear.

Candy and Ella come back with two overstuffed toys, Ella gushing about some show and Candy smiling proudly. The night never gets back to Chloe's new-ish relationship, which is kind of a relief, because as much as she cares about these people, it's still sort of new.

Even if they've technically been married for months, and have lived together for longer. It's the point of the thing.

Chloe's been sticking to water for the latter half of the night, so she's good to drive home. She doesn't instinctually turn to go to their old apartment anymore, instead pulling into Lux and giving her keys to the valet. (That doesn't get any less weird.)

It's not anything new, but something in her still _melts_ every time the elevator doors open and she sees Lucifer and Trixie doing something together. Sure, once or twice it's been _extremely_ worrying--her daughter did not actually _need_ liquid nitrogen for that school project, even if she did get an A--but it's normally just sweet. Not that she'd say that to Lucifer's face.

Tonight, they're playing some card game. Trixie looks delighted and Lucifer irritated, so she's pretty sure she knows who's winning. They both look over at her as the doors open, but turn back to their game. Trixie, wearing an incredibly smug expression, slams a card down on the table hard enough to shake their glasses (Trixie's with water, Lucifer's with gin) and yells "Uno!". Chloe sits down next to them.

"Hm," Lucifer says, which Chloe's pretty sure is Lucifer for 'I would like to swear but now Chloe is here to see me swear around Trixie'. "Well."

He draws at least ten cards, looking more and more annoyed, and Trixie's grin is just like Maze's. Eventually, he plays something, and Trixie slams her last card down.

"Well played," Lucifer says. "Detective, how was your night?"

"Good," Chloe says with a yawn. "Maze and Eve drank way too much, Linda's showing, and Candy and Ella are--"

"Chaotic?" Lucifer suggests just as Trixie says, "Cute?"

"Yeah," Chloe agrees, because really, that sums them up. She wants to ask them about their day, about Trixie's new best friend Nora and Lucifer's time at Lux, but a yawn interrupts her.

"Time for bed, I think," Lucifer says, and Chloe would be annoyed at the lack of insinuation there, but the idea of collapsing into bed sounds incredible. Trixie nods, looking completely energetic, but runs off to her room anyway. Lucifer's had to move around some things he off-handedly described as 'more valuable than most diamonds', which makes Chloe wonder, especially given that time Lucifer told her about meeting up with a variety of historical figures in the same way she talks about meeting her mom's old actress friends. Mostly disinterested, but aware they were technically well-known.

Chloe doesn't bother to actually change into her normal sweatpants and tanktop, just taking off her jeans and bra and heels and literally falling into bed. Silk sheets are nice. Why did she ever not have these? Money? These are worth it. Whatever that it is.

Lucifer climbs into bed next to her, and she automatically shifts to accommodate him, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her face between his shoulder blades. The scars are gone, now--something to do with the wings coming back, which she doesn't understand at _all_ \--and he doesn't seem to mind, making a quiet, pleased noise that she's sure he didn't intend for her to hear. That almost makes it better, though--it's just hers.

Her phone goes off, and she just automatically reaches over to deny the call. She can deal with that in the morning.

* * *

Chloe wakes up warm, curled into Lucifer, and to the sound of her phone going off again. She could've sworn she silenced that. It's a number she doesn't recognize, though, so she denies the call--if it's important, they'll leave a voicemail. Lucifer's still out, but grumbles when she tries to move her arms out from under him. She's got to get ready for work--it's been a quiet week, and Chloe would enjoy a day off, so naturally there's going to be a case when they go into the precinct. 

Lucifer doesn't wake up until she and Trixie are pretty much ready to head out, dressed in a prohibitively expensive but admittedly luxurious robe. He looks--good. Still, they've got work, so she just smiles at him as she heads out with her daughter. Lucifer casually waves, and Chloe loves how easy all of this is. She hadn't wanted to agree with Linda last night, but it had sort of felt like they'd be dancing around each other forever.

Trixie chats excitedly about Nora on the drive to her school. Apparently she's very fast and likes Wonder Woman and helps her with her math homework, and Chloe can't really tell which of those three things Trixie's most excited about. Chloe asks if she wants to hang out, and Trixie sighs dramatically and says she's busy with her family. She seems...really disappointed. Like, really disappointed. That's something they might have to talk about, maybe, and Chloe thinks about when she'd told her mom she was bi, and resolves to do better. If that's even what's going on. She's realized recently she shares Lucifer's tendency to project onto things if she doesn't actively check it.

(By she's recently realized, she means Linda told her about it in excruciating detail and she tried desperately to deny it while Maze looked more and more pleased, though it's not clear if that's because of Chloe's discomfort or Eve getting cuddlier as the night went on until she was practically in Maze's lap. She'd kind of expected Maze to be smug and a little inappropriate about it, but she just softens in a way that's a lot like Lucifer. Not that she'd ever tell either of them that.)

She walks into the precinct and sees Lucifer sitting at her desk, chatting animatedly with Charlotte. Charlotte's still more cautious around them after waking up from her coma, but she's slowly warming up to them again--deciding to come to game night before a last-minute wrench in a case got in the way, getting drunk with Ella and Maze, joking once with Dan about celestial nonsense before both of them seemed to realize what she was saying and stopped.

Chloe's phone goes off again. "Fucking spam calls," she mutters before joining them at the desk. She doesn't recognize the area code, even--something international, +39. Definitely some Nigerian prince scam or something similar.

"Detective!" Lucifer says.

"Lucifer," she says. "Hey, Charlotte."

"Chloe," Charlotte says, still a little terse.

"How's the, uh, case going?"

"Good," Charlotte says. "At this point it's a matter of how long he'll be sentenced, not if."

"But life, probably, right?"

Charlotte shrugs. "We can hope."

It's stunningly unreassuring. "Alright."

Charlotte makes a face that's a little too tense to be a real smile, but Chloe appreciates the effort.

"It'll be fine, Detective," Lucifer says quietly. "Even if he doesn't get life, we've effectively dismantled his organization. Plus, there's enough coverage of this case that he'll find it a lot harder to disappear."

"Yeah," Chloe says. "Yeah, you're right, I just--"

"Wanted it to be well and truly over?" Lucifer says.

Chloe nods. "Yeah."

"Well, I could always send Maze in after him if you want to be _sure_ it's final," Lucifer says.

It's a joke, kind of, but he's also serious. She shakes her head rather than say something. "Let's see how the case goes first."

(She's still on edge about him threatening Trixie, but not quite enough to send Maze in. She'd take her time. Chloe knows that much.)

"So," she says. "Any cases?" Maybe she'll get a day off to just decompress after all.

"Naturally," he says, and Chloe sighs.

Some things never change.

* * *

Her phone keeps going off the entire ride across LA, much to Chloe's annoyance from the passenger seat. She's trying to read a case file, for crying out loud, but she can't silence her phone in case it's the new lieutenant or Dan or Trixie's school calling. Still, every time it's that same number.

"You're sure you don't want to answer that, Detective?" Lucifer asks.

"It's not a US area code, it's definitely some sort of scam," she says.

"So block the number," Lucifer says.

Rather than admit she's not entirely sure how to do that, she mumbles something that sounds vaguely like agreement and turns the ringer down. She'll do that later.

The case isn't any more gruesome than most of the others they work on--blood splatter, knife embedded in the victim's chest--but the young woman really is young, barely looking 18. Apparently there'd been some debate about whether this went to their department or the one for child victims, but it's just past the girl's birthday. The atmosphere on the beach is far more subdued than it normally is, Ella holding back from her usual jokes, Dan looking away from the victim at every opportunity. Even Lucifer's quiet.

Her phone goes off. "For fuck's sake. I'll be right back."

It keeps ringing as she storms off. Chloe finally accepts the call, bringing it up to her ear. "What?"

"Chloe Decker?"

"Yeah?" she says, a little confused. She'd really thought it was spam, but the guy on the other end doesn't sound like a robot, slightly accented, and he has her name.

"My name is Father Kinley. We need to talk."

He sounds gravely serious, but Chloe's just been interrupted from the first murder since Diana to really affect her, so she says, "Look, I'm pretty busy, leave a message? I'll get back to you when I can."

She's about to hang up, but she hears--just barely, with the phone not pressed against the side of her face--"It's about Lucifer."

Chloe pauses, brings the phone back up to her ear. "What about him?"

"There are things you don't know," he says.

"I sort of doubt that," she says. "Who are you?"

"I told you, my name is--"

"No," Chloe says. "I mean, who are you? What do you know about my husband?"

(Something in her is still pleased at that, that slightly possessive, jealous thing she tries not to let control her. But he is _her_ husband now. Hers.)

"Chloe," the man says. "There are things about his past that you don't know."

Lucifer's looking at her inquisitively from across the crime scene, and it's then that it finally clicks. _Father_ Kinley.

"...what area code are you calling from, again?"

"I don't believe I said."

"Then tell me," Chloe says, a sadly-familiar anxiety in her gut.

"The Vatican," he says.

Chloe swears. She'd be upset a priest could hear, but she's gotten drunk with an angel about parenting concerns (Amenadiel is a very dance-y drunk), so it's going to take more than a priest who knows more information than he should to fuck with her.

"I will call you back," she says.

"Chloe--"

"I said I'll call you back," she says, trying to make her voice cold and intimidating. She's pretty sure it wavers a little too much for that.

Chloe hangs up before Kinley can get another word in and walks back over to the crime scene.

"Did they want gold or something?" Lucifer says.

"I think," Chloe says, waiting for the techs other than Ella to leave. "That we maybe have a bit of a problem."

Everything had been going so _well_.

Lucifer nods, looking only mildly bothered. "Alright. We'll talk about it after the case?"

Chloe nods. "Yeah." No matter what's going on in her personal life, this girl deserves dignity. Her name. God, what was her name again--

"Isabel's parents have been contacted," Ella says. "We're gonna find out who did this to you."

"We'll get justice," Chloe says, though from the worried glance Lucifer shoots her, she's not able to hide her worry as well as she'd like.


	2. o, ye of little faith, father

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fixed some typos in last chapter!

There's fingerprints on the murder weapon that aren't in the system, which suggests a crime of passion, so Chloe gets Dan to try and find her friends, family, if she had any issues with school, any jilted lovers, anything they can start to work on. It's normally something she'd do herself--there are no shortcuts in detective work unless she wants things to start going _badly_ \--but she's too agitated from her call with Kinley to be able to get anything done. She thinks Dan can recognize that because he doesn't complain. His eyes follow her as she makes her way back to her desk, too.

Lucifer's sitting in her chair, looking down at her paperwork with an interesting mix of disdain and confusion. She can see none of the boxes are filled out, which would ordinarly be cause for annoyance, but Lucifer acting like himself is almost soothing.

"Do we have a suspect?" he asks when she approaches.

Chloe shakes her head. "No, but Lucifer, I know I said it could wait until after the case, but we really need to talk about that call--"

Of course, it's then that Ella calls them over for something forensic, and Lucifer can _definitely_ tell something's wrong, because while neither of them are big on PDA, he takes her hand as they're walking to the lab. It does help her feel like her breath isn't going to get stuck in her throat, so she's not complaining.

Apparently Isabel had managed to scratch her attacker and they're testing the DNA now, or something. Chloe feels awful not really paying attention, but Lucifer's more attentive than normal to make up for it. It balances out. 

What could Kinley be calling her about? Obviously Lucifer being the Devil, but does he suspect or does he _know_? How did he find out? Why is he calling now, of all times? Is he one of Pierce's contacts, and if so, what could he have over the priest for the man to work with _Cain_? 

"Detective," Lucifer says, squeezing her hand, and it's then that Chloe realizes Ella asked her a question.

"Are you okay, Chloe?" Ella asks.

Chloe takes a deep breath. "Yes! Yeah, I'm okay."

She hears how totally unconvincing she sounds before Ella makes a face at her. "Girl."

"I just--I got a weird call--"

"What, like a stalker?" Ella asks, and Lucifer turns to her with more alarm than he's had about the situation so far.

"No," Chloe quickly says, but then remembers she doesn't actually know anything about Kinley, and corrects herself. "I mean, I don't think so. It was about you."

"Me?" Ella asks.

"No," Chloe says. "Lucifer."

Lucifer looks considerably less alarmed, which is less of a relief than Chloe would like. "What was it, someone demanding I make a deal with them? I haven't done that in ages, it hardly went _well_ last time."

"I don't think so," Chloe says. "Uh. He said he was from the Vatican."

Ella makes a noise that could best be described as a squeak. "Uh. That's--wow, I would have had a different reaction to that before I, like, _knew_ , you know? I'm worried? I mean, is the Pope gonna show up--"

"For his sake, I hope not," Lucifer says. 

"He said he knew something about you that I didn't," Chloe says.

Lucifer frowns. "I sincerely doubt that."

For just a second, Chloe feels lighter. "Right? That's what I said."

Lucifer smiles at her, and she smiles back, and she sort of registers Ella beaming at the both of them.

"Anyway," Chloe says, "I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact you're--well, you know, you, and if he knows, who else does?"

"How much does he know _you_ know?" Ella asks. "I mean, does he just think Lucifer's the Devil and you have no idea? You two are married."

"Exactly," Lucifer says.

"Lucifer, you didn't tell me for _months_ after the wedding."

"Yes, but it wasn't _real_ then," Lucifer says, and Chloe nods in agreement. He does have a point. "I wouldn't--"

"I know," Chloe says. "But--I mean. Odds are a priest isn't going to give you the benefit of the doubt."

Lucifer makes a face that could mean _his loss, I'm a delight_ or _you have a point but I don't feel like admitting it_ or both.

"But why would he believe you?" Ella says. "I mean, no offense, but you're a club owner in LA. Nothing in the Bible about that."

"You don't actually think my father wrote that, do you?" Lucifer asks.

Ella stops. "Hm. That's--hm."

"Too much?" Chloe asks, sympathetic.

"Yeah," Ella says. "Yeah, Lucifer, we're good, but too much."

"My apologies," Lucifer says, the statement trailing off like a question. 

"But the point is," Chloe says. "What should we do?"

"Ignore him," Lucifer suggests.

"No," Chloe says before Lucifer's even finished. "That's--no. If he's calling me, that means he knows something about _you,_ personally, and is willing to find out information about me and God-knows-who-else to try and mess with you. We should try and convince him you're just some method actor."

"But what if he has proof?" Ella says. "I mean, why now?"

And that is the question, isn't it? Why now? They were legally married for ages when they were trying to trick and take down the Sinnerman, and as far as Chloe knows, nothing celestial has really gone down since. Does it have something to do with Linda having an angel baby? But again, she's known she was pregnant for awhile, and that would deal more with Linda and Amenadiel than Chloe and Lucifer. Eve, maybe? But no, again--Eve's been down here for ages, and she and Maze mostly keep to themselves unless they're hunting bounties.

"Why now," Chloe agrees. 

* * *

Ella convinces them they should have an "official" celestial insider meeting about it. Lucifer doesn't want to bother Linda and Chloe's not sure she wants to get Maze and her general distrust of authority and knives involved, but in the end, Ella has a good point.

"Whatever he knows, it's gonna involve all of us."

They're a team now. A family, almost--Ella's been as good as the sister Chloe's never had for ages, and Maze might as well be, too, and Eve is so close with Maze that Chloe would feel bad leaving her out, and Amenadiel and Linda and the as-yet-unnamed baby are literally Lucifer's family, and Dan is hers and Trixie's, so Charlotte's there, too.

Chloe would not have guessed her life would get this complicated when she'd first met Lucifer. (A week after meeting him, probably not, but she'd at least have had an _idea_.)

So they all meet in the penthouse, sans Trixie, who Maze argues knows everything already, but Chloe knows that's a conversation she's going to need to have with her daughter before anyone else does. With Dan, probably. Maybe also Lucifer and Charlotte. Maze, who'd inevitably make her way in there anyway. 

"So," Linda says, ever the voice of reason. "A priest."

"Have we tried talking to him?" Ella asks. "I mean, he's a priest."

"They let practically anyone into the priesthood," Lucifer says.

Amenadiel makes a face. "Actually, he's not wrong."

"We could fuck him up," Eve says with a dreamy tone that doesn't really fit the conversation matter. She grins at Maze, who smiles back, Eve's sharper than it should be, Maze's softer. 

"We could find out what he knows before we decide what to do," Chloe says.

"At least one of you has some sense," Charlotte mutters. Dan's silent and still as a statue next to her, but he doesn't look like he's about to pass out, so he's doing better than Chloe thought.

"You know, see if he's actually a threat or if he's just--I don't know, some nutjob who thinks Lucifer's a Satanist?" Chloe continues.

She can practically feel Lucifer's disdain next to her. 

"I told him I'd call him back," Chloe says.

"Speaker," Maze says immediately. 

Chloe nods her assent, and only has to stop and center herself for a moment before hitting dial. Everyone's eyes on her--or, more accurately, her phone--doesn't exactly help settle her nerves.

Father Kinley picks up almost instantly, and Chloe jumps a bit; she wasn't ready for it.

"Chloe?" he says when she doesn't immediately speak.

"You said you knew something about Lucifer," Chloe says. She tries to keep her tone accusatory, keep him on the defensive; it works with suspects, and she's better able to handle that than something divine. 

"So I did," he says. "I must admit, I prefer to speak in person."

"I don't," Chloe says. "I don't know you. For all I know, this is someone trying to hurt my _family._ " The last word comes out as practically a hiss, and Lucifer looks over at her with an expression that could almost be admiration. 

"Whatever you like," Kinley says mildly. Some part of Chloe knows what he's doing, had it explained to her again and again after Lucifer's confrontations with suspects--if someone stays on the offense, keep calm and try and seem unaffected by the whole thing. It'll either piss them off enough to give up something they wouldn't otherwise or relax them enough that you can push further.

Understanding the tactic doesn't mean it doesn't _work,_ though, and Chloe bristles. "So go ahead. What do you know?"

"I understand you and your--partner have recently arrested Marcus Pierce," Kinley begins.

"That wasn't what I asked you," Chloe interrupts. "Give me a good reason to keep listening or I'll hang up."

Maze starts, and Chloe shakes her head, hoping the rustling of movement won't get picked up by her phone's mic. 

"I realize this may be hard to believe, but your partner is not who he claims. He's the Devil."

"He's claimed to be that since the first day I met him," Chloe says dryly. "Is that it?"

She's hoping her (fake) disinterest is enough to push him further, but he only says, "No. He's done things you can't explain, right? Walked out of a burning restaurant with you in tow--"

"Badly burned from that," Chloe says, back to angry. "I should know, I was there."

Lucifer hands her a drink, which is not as helpful as she thinks he probably meant it to be, but she takes a swig anyway. Oh. Just water. Actually somewhat helpful. She shoots him a quick smile before turning her attention back to her phone. 

"But he's also vanished in front of dozens of cops," Kinley says, and Chloe's heart drops to somewhere around her stomach. "He's found more 'open' doors than any other cop or consultant in the LAPD, and Pierce's takedown was far from by-the-book."

"Who are you?" Chloe asks, proud of the way she's able to keep her voice from wavering. 

"I told you--"

"No," Chloe says. "You're not some normal priest. Why do you have this agenda against Lucifer?"

There's a long pause where Chloe's hyperaware of the silence of her phone, the breathing of everyone around her, Lucifer warm against her side.

"It's nothing personal, I can assure you," Kinley says, and he sounds strained, for the first time, which is interesting. Linda definitely picks up on it, leaning a little closer. "But it is a matter of grave importance."

"How so?" Chloe asks. It's not hard to infuse every word with doubt. This guy has information he shouldn't, sure, and that's terrifying, but in terms of the celestial sides of things, it sound like he has no proof. "And why now? Everything you're talking about happened weeks or months ago."

"A mission," Kinley says, and there's no strain in his voice now. He sounds convinced. Zealous, even. "From Heaven itself."

She's impressed that Lucifer manages to keep from laughing, but Amenadiel can't hold back his snort. Maze slaps a hand over his mouth, but the sound of skin-on-skin is louder than the laughter, and Chloe closes her eyes against the rush of annoyance and anxiety. 

"I see," Kinley says, and he still sounds calm, mild. "Who is listening in with you?"

"Just Lucifer," Chloe lies, and Charlotte nods at her, half-smiling. "You threatened my husband."

"No, I didn't," Kinley says. "I want what is best for everyone." Weird turn of phrase, and she turns to grab a pen to see that Ella's already writing it down. Why do they ever do these things apart from each other? This is so much easier than when she tries to work through these things on her own, or even with just Lucifer. "You'll hear from me soon, Chloe Decker."

And with that, he hangs up.

"Well, that was boring," Maze says.

"He knows things that weren't in official police files, so it's not a department leak," Chloe says, already theorizing. "Unless it's someone who was actually there for some of those things? IS there anyone in the department who's, you know--"

She doesn't actually say _corrupt_ , but from Dan's little flinch, he gets what she's trying to say.

Still, he powers through, and says, "I don't think so. Ever since we took out Pierce, Internal Affairs has been cracking down _hard_ on everything."

"Poor Cucuzza," Lucifer says.

"Is that the cop who let you have, like, _so_ many drugs--"

"Lucifer. Ella. Can we focus on the crisis first?"

Ella mouths _sorry_ and Lucifer nods.

"So," Chloe says. "We know he knows some things that are pretty fucking worrying, and we know he's--I mean, crazy, right? There's no way this is a mission from Heaven?"

Charlotte's grip on Dan's hand has to be hard enough to draw blood, what with the long nails and white knuckles, but Dan isn't pulling his hand away. 

"No," Amenadiel says, and Chloe watches Charlotte's grip relax. Sure enough, there's a few little crescents of blood welling up on the back of Dan's hand. Charlotte murmurs something Dan can't quite make out, but Dan shakes his head and smiles at her. It's still tense, eyes flicking between Lucifer and Maze and Amenadiel quickly like some sort of cornered animal, but it's genuine. "I know I've been staying down here, but every time I visit, things are--fine. Remiel begrudgingly admitted Lucifer's grown since he didn't kill Cain--"

"--not that he didn't _deserve_ it--" Maze mutters darkly.

"--and Azrael's always positive, when she has a moment--"

"--tell her I say hi, by the way?" Ella interjects.

"But no angels with any issues with Lucifer," Chloe says. "Right?"

Amenadiel shakes his head. "No more than usual. Things are good."

Chloe relaxes. "Good. Okay. So it's just some asshole priest. If he calls again, I'll tell him I'm not interested."

"What if he tries to meet with you in person?" Eve asks. "I mean, he sounded pretty--fixated."

"We have a lock on the elevator now," Chloe says. "So he's not going to get me alone."

Maze has this little determined expression on her face that Chloe's come to recognize as overprotectiveness, but honestly, while she _is_ pretty sure this whole thing is just getting blown out of proportion, she wouldn't say no to some infernal protection, so she doesn't call her on it. 

"Alright, then," Lucifer says. "Everyone _out_."

"What? We just got here," Eve says. Dan and Charlotte are already halfway out the door, and Amenadiel's helping Linda up.

"Go drink at the bar, then," Lucifer says. "I'd like to spend some time with the Detective _alone_."

Chloe averts her gaze from the others, feeling her cheeks flush, but--he's not wrong. That does sound nice. She looks up just in time to see Maze and Eve making faces at her from the elevator, and looks away again. 

"Are you alright?" Lucifer says.

"Yeah," Chloe says. "I am. I wasn't, but--he doesn't have anything real. We're fine."

"We are," he says, voice wondering like it always gets when she reassures him about their relationship. It makes her feel terribly fond of him, and she pulls him towards her with a smile she'd like to be breathtaking but she's sure is just as soft as the looks Maze sends Eve.

It'll be okay. No real crisis.

Thank fuck.


	3. clever, detective

When she pulls Lucifer towards her, she intends to--well, kiss him stupid, but it seems she's still in that soft, concerned mood from earlier, and she just goes up, half-on her toes, and presses her forehead to his. She has her eyes closed, but she can picture the expression on his face perfectly, all wide eyes and surprise. He exhales, breath warm against her face, and they just stay like that for a moment.

"You're aware Maze is lingering," he says, low enough that his voice won't carry, even though she's sure the demon can hear it from anywhere in the penthouse and possibly in the building.

"Yeah," Chloe says, and she can feel the answering smile on his face. She opens her eyes, and sure enough, he's looking at her with a more open expression than he'd shown her the entire first year of their partnership. "It kind of makes me feel better, actually. There's no priest that's getting past her."

"No human in general is getting past Mazikeen," he says, and she leans back down.

"No army, even," she says, half-joking, half-serious. She thinks she hears a snort from somewhere in the apartment, but when she turns to look, there's no one there. Not really a surprise.

"So," Lucifer says, and when she turns back, she expects a salacious grin or his face close enough to hers that Maze might not actually hear if he's quiet enough. She doesn't expect a wry smile and him to say, "Back to the case?"

"Oh," Chloe says. "That's not what I thought you were going to say."

His look of wide-eyed innocence is utterly unconvincing. "What would you assume? I'm devoted to our work, of course--"

"Okay, come on," Chloe says, cheeks flushing. "Yeah, back to the station, let's give the case a fair shake now that I'm not up in my own head."

Still, he wouldn't be Lucifer if he wasn't at least a little hell-bent (pun _not_ intended) on making it hard for her to get her job done normally, and when the elevator doors close and lock, they don't make their way down to the first floor for several minutes more than the ride down would take. Chloe determinedly tells herself it isn't obvious, that her clothes are fine and not out of place, and Lucifer's smug grin isn't an immediate giveaway. Of course, Ella's waggling eyebrows and Dan's mildly judgmental look once they enter the precinct ruins that dream for her, but neither of them say anything, so it's fine, probably.

"Onto the case," Chloe says, and dives into the paperwork.

* * *

Lucifer gets bored about fifteen seconds in, but sticks with her for awhile longer. He offers more inappropriate commentary than theories, but Chloe appreciates the company. Still, the Devil's patience has limits, and when Dan leaves for a well-deserved break, she sees Lucifer's eyes tracking him.

"Go," Chloe says. "Don't go overboard, though, you know he's still freaking out."

"That's not because of _me_ , Detective," Lucifer says, and before she can press on that patently-ridiculous idea, he's gone. Deciding that it's not her problem unless and until the prank war escalates to danger or genuine terror to either of them, she goes back to trying to focus on her work.

Isabel Rourke. Comfortable, but solidly middle-class, not wealthy. Aspiring screenwriter. The DNA evidence isn't anyone in the system, and the fingerprints on the knife were wiped down--and that's something there, because why would someone bother to wipe fingerprints off a knife if they had DNA under the nails? Sure, there's the possibility they thought they were about to get caught, but no one had reported the body for hours, so it's more likely the attacker knew the DNA would turn up nothing and the fingerprints would.

Chloe's about to go to the lab and ask Ella to pull up departments that have fingerprint records but not DNA or something when she practically runs into Lucifer, only barely stopping to avoid colliding with his suit. She'd done that once, spilled her coffee, and he complained the entire ride back to the penthouse until he stripped him out of the jacket, and even then only to try and convince her that the suit's dry-cleaning could wait. Sure, it'd _worked_ , but that wasn't the point.

"Sorry," she says, a moment late.

"It's fine, Detective," he says, and she looks up at him. His face is a little distant, and her brain immediately sets off warning bells.

"What's wrong?" she asks, sudden and immediate. He looks surprised, but--different. More calculating. She's starting to worry this prank involves her, in some way.

"Nothing's wrong," he says.

"What's wrong by _my_ standards?" she asks.

He stops and thinks. "...nothing, I'm fairly certain."

Chloe relaxes. "Good! You looked weird there for a sec, I thought you'd put a snake in Dan's desk or something." He doesn't make a single joke about snakes as a metaphor or Dan's desk or anything else, and she looks back at him. "You didn't, right?"

"No," he protests. "Though that does sound like something I would do."

"Yeah, I know," she says with a roll of her eyes, and grabs his hand before he can snark at her about it. He freezes for a bit but then goes along with it. Maybe he was more worried about the priest than he let on. Or her reaction to the priest, more likely. The only danger Lucifer's ever cared about around her is the danger that affects their relationship, not his physical safety. It's infuriating. 

They make their way to the lab, and Chloe calls, "Ella?"

"One sec!" Ella says. Her workstation is a mess of colorful chemicals and beakers, which Chloe's pretty sure is against protocol, but whatever. Ella does bump her head on the underside of the table when she tries to get up from where she's trying to grab something, almost knocking a beaker over. "What's up?"

"I noticed something in the file," Chloe says. "The killer wiped away their fingerprints, but didn't make any effort to hide the body or clean the DNA. So what if--"

"Their fingerprints are in the system and their DNA isn't!" Ella says. "Smart, I'll look into that!"

"Clever, Detective," Lucifer says next to her. She grins at him, but before she can say anything, Ella's already got something.

"Okay, I'm sending you a list of agencies that take fingerprints without requiring DNA testing," Ella says. "Teachers get fingerprinted, too, but we don't have access to that in our system without a warrant, so let me know if none of the names on the list jump out."

"Let's go," Chloe says, tugging Lucifer along. She's so used to him just going with her that when he doesn't she's off-balance for just a moment.

"I'll catch right up with you," he says, releasing her hand.

She shrugs. "Okay." Probably he wants to discuss whatever he has planned for Dan with Ella. Ella will probably stop it before it gets too out of hand, or will at least accidentally let it slip to Dan, so that's another weight off Chloe's shoulders. Still, when she gets back to her desk to comb through lists of agencies and names longer than some novels, she's a little annoyed with her lack of a partner next to her.

"Sorry, Detective," Lucifer says, harried, at her side just a few moments later. She jumps. "What?"

"Nothing, sorry," Chloe says. She hadn't realized he meant right up with her _literally_. "What are you apologizing for?"

"Taking so long," he says, annoyed. "It felt like everyone in the department needed to talk to me today. How _did_ you all manage without me?"

She grins. "Don't worry, it was no time at all. Come on, help me with this list."

"What list?" he says, and she explains it to him again. She must have been right about him being more worried about the priest than he's letting on; for all his faults, he's usually pretty observant. So she doesn't call him on it when she explains her reasoning. He had complimented her earlier, after all, so it's not like her ego's too bruised. "So--"

"Any immediate suspects?" he asks, and she turns.

"Not really," Chloe says. "We didn't have any suspects before, but to be fair, we were focusing on the DNA testing. With that inconclusive, it's time to work this from a new position. Don't make a joke about that. Regretted it as _soon_ as I said it."

"I won't," he says. "Now."

"Lucifer," she says, but she's smiling too much for her words to have any real weight to them. "I--"

"Chloe," says a voice she unfortunately recognizes, and before she can even think about what she's doing, she's shoved Lucifer behind her and put a hand on her gun.

"What are you doing here?" she hisses.

Father Kinley isn't quite what she expected. Someone like Pierce, all muscle and cold eyes, maybe. Or else a typical horror movie zealot replete with bloodstained bible and unsettling grin. The man across from her is normal. Sure, taller than the average priest, maybe, but other than the look in his eyes when he looks at Lucifer and the clerical collar, he could fit right in here.

It's not a comforting thought. 

"I wished to talk in person--"

"I didn't," she says. Officers are starting to notice her, hand on her gun, standing in front of Lucifer as if to block a blow that, thankfully, doesn't look like it's coming anytime soon. "Get out."

"Chloe--"

"You threatened my husband," Chloe says, and she's sure she's not imagining the way Lucifer shivers behind her at that, but she's got something more important to focus on right now. "So get the hell out and leave me the hell alone or I swear to God, I'll make sure every cop in this building knows you're not welcome."

"I see," he says. "And if I said I never intended harm for either you or Lucifer?"

"I'd say you were full of shit," she says. "You called me and tried to _manipulate_ me, tried to tell me I don't know him. Well, I do. I have for a long time. And I promise you, there is nothing you know about him that I don't."

Kinley's placid expression doesn't break, exactly, but there's a flare of annoyance in his eyes that Chloe would find intensely gratifying if she wasn't worried about what this man's presence here means for them. 

"I must insist we meet at a later date, then," he says.

"I disagree," she says.

"Are you sure? I could tell every cop here of my suspicions," he says. His tone is mild enough, but Chloe's thinking about their case against Pierce, how there were already whispers it was personally motivated even if their evidence was rock-solid.

"Fine," Chloe says, gritting her teeth. "And if you threaten him again, I'll shoot you." Again, Lucifer shivers.

"I've never threatened him," Kinley says. "If you truly know everything I know about Lucifer, I will leave the two of you to your own devices."

The prospect of him leaving them alone is enough for Chloe to perk up, but she doesn't trust the man. "I'll call you. Now get the fuck out of my precinct."

Kinley does without a parting word, but he glances back. He doesn't seem to be looking at them, though, and when Chloe turns to see what caught his gaze, there's nothing there.

"Well, he's no Cain," Lucifer says after a long beat, and Chloe snorts. She finally drops her hand from her holster and turns to fully face Lucifer. Like this, she could put her hands on either side of him and keep him between her and the desk, if he didn't feel inclined to leave. They're certainly close enough for it. But they're still surrounded by officers. 

"Do you mean looks or threat to us?" Chloe asks.

Lucifer makes a face, and she laughs, finally giving into the urge to lean in and kiss him. She doesn't pin him to the desk, but given the way he looks at her when she pulls back, he considers that a flaw, not a benefit.

"We should get back to the case," Chloe says eventually.

"We should," Lucifer agrees, though he looks annoyed about it.

Chloe grins and leans in a little, and says, "We always have later."

"That we do," Lucifer practically purrs, and while it's an effort to pull back completely, it's worth it for the look on Lucifer's face. 

"Later," she says, and tries to infuse it with the weight of a promise.


	4. lucifer! lucifer! lucifer!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi i know i said less long breaks and then took like a month off. i'm sorry! no excuse other than a new hyperfixation and realization of my sexuality (i'm bi, btw!). hope y'all enjoy!

After Ella gives them the fingerprint databases, the case goes quickly. Isabel's brother-in-law is on the list, and cracks as soon as Lucifer looks him in the eye and asks what he desires. Isabel, apparently, and a uni has to hold Isabel's sister back from making this a double homicide. Lucifer tries to cajole her into going straight back to the penthouse and fill out the arrest paperwork there, but Chloe fell for that once, which was more than enough. If they go back to home, Chloe's not getting anything done other than Lucifer. 

So they head back to the precinct and fill out the paperwork. Well, Chloe fills out the paperwork; Lucifer sits next to her and does his best to be as unhelpful as possible. Well, that's unfair. He isn't actively trying to distract her, he's just so--much, in her space, with that sly side grin that shows he knows exactly what he's doing. 

"Don't you want to get a cool ranch puff or something?" Chloe mutters after the third time his hand brushes her thigh. He's not even trying to distract her, she's pretty sure, which is worse, because Lucifer trying to distract her would be understandable. No one could fault her for that. The fact that he's just sitting here and she's _still_ considering dragging him to a room here that doesn't have cameras is...less acceptable.

"I'm fine, Detective," Lucifer says, and his tone isn't even that smug, the dick. "Why, are you hungry?"

"No," she says, signing her name on a form with more pressure on the pen than is strictly necessary.

Lucifer doesn't say anything, but he's grinning.

Still, eventually the paperwork is done. Normally she'd read over it a few times, but once is enough, probably, and Lucifer looks all-too-knowing when she slams down her paperwork on the new lieutenant's desk.

"Were you doing that on purpose?" Chloe hisses as they walk out to the parking lot.

"No, actually," Lucifer says, and now there's that arrogance she used to find so annoying. She wishes she still did.

"Come on," Chloe says, cheeks warm. 

The drive back to Lux is less than 20 minutes, but fuck, it feels like an hour with the way Lucifer keeps smirking at her. They've been together for months, at this point, actually together and not for the sake of a case, but it's still just as easy for him to rile her up. She half-wishes it wasn't; she's a grown woman, she needs to focus on work, and it's a little embarrassing how little it takes for him to get her completely flustered. But there is something sort of intoxicating about it, about him, about the way that he's always a little surprised and a lot pleased when she drags him closer to her before the elevator doors even close.

"Detective," he purrs, and he's so goddamn _smug_ , and she mutters a few rude things before pushing him against the wall. He goes easily, head leaning back against the wall, neck curved in invitation, and she has to go up on her toes to press a kiss to the hollow of his throat.

She's got her hands on his wrists, pressed against the wall, and he's not pushing back at all, content to just stand there. That's--fuck, that's something, and she bites down. It's gentle, still, not enough to break skin, barely enough to bruise, but Lucifer full-body shudders anyway.

"That really is a thing for you, huh," Chloe says.

"Yes," he says, no shame or embarrassment.

"Pain?" she says, curiosity winning over her urge to keep him pinned here for the rest of time. She still drags him over to the couch once the doors open, keeps her face against his throat.

He makes an annoyed noise she feels as much as hears, but answers, "Not--quite. Maze--"

"--yeah, pain seems up her alley," Chloe says. She's not even jealous, not really, but her next bite down is a little rougher. She can _feel_ Lucifer swallow a groan. "So what?"

"You," he says, and Chloe stops a second just to smile. "I'm-- _fuck_ \--"

"Is it because you're vulnerable around me?" Chloe asks. She is curious, but she's asking more to sort of--push it, a little, see how long Lucifer can be patient. 

Lucifer groans. "I don't know, and I don't _care,_ Chloe--" He pushes up against her grip, slightly, and while he could definitely break it without much effort, it seems more like he's just feeling the hold rather than any actual annoyance with it.

Still, just in case, she pulls back, and says, "This okay?"

Lucifer's face softens a little, and says, "Yes. I'd say if it wasn't."

"Just checking," Chloe says, leaning in and kissing him. She doesn't move her hands from his wrists, though.

They end up being gentler than Chloe would've thought, from the rush home, but she's not complaining, curled into him. She runs his hand down her back, now free of scars.

"Did you ever find out why these came back?" Chloe asks. "You said it wasn't Pierce."

"Amenadiel has a theory," Lucifer says, rolling over and looking at her. He always looks a little disbelieving when he turns around and she's still there. She hates it, and scoots a little closer even though they're already pressed against each other. "Angels self-actualize."

"What, you guys choose what you have? Then why were you surprised when your wings came back?"

"Not quite," Lucifer says, brow furrowed. "More--we become what we believe we are. It's subconscious, not a choice."

"So you got your wings back because you...thought you would?"

Lucifer won't meet her eyes, and she takes his hands between hers, trying to offer comfort without interrupting him. "Because I thought I deserved them again."

Her heart breaks for him, as it so often does, and she says, "Oh," because she's not nearly as good with words as she'd like. 

"It was right after I planned on telling you," Lucifer says.

"I remember."

"I suppose...as terrifying as that was, it was--good, to have you know. To know that you would find out because I was choosing to tell you."

"As opposed to what, Maze?"

Lucifer shakes his head. "You finding out after I was forced to show my true nature when you were in danger. You finding out at the gates of Heaven. You working it out for yourself."

"I don't think I would have," Chloe says. "Worked it out, I mean. It's sort of a lot."

She's aiming for joking, but Lucifer's laugh is quiet, quick, and bitter.

"Lucifer," Chloe says, holding his gaze. "I'm really happy you told me. That you trusted me. And for what it's worth, I think you _deserved_ those wings, if you wanted them, for as long as I've known you."

"Chloe," Lucifer says, that same disbelieving look on his face, and Chloe kisses him again, because she wants to, because she can.

"I'm gonna get washed up," she says. "I'd ask if you want to join me, but I actually do want to get clean."

"If you insist," Lucifer says, but his smile's a little too genuine to come across as flirtatious as he means it. It almost works better on her than the grin would. "I should probably deal with club business anyway."

"In that?" she asks, once he pulls on a robe, underwear, and absolutely nothing else. 

"They've seen me in worse," Lucifer says dismissively. "And less, for that matter."

Chloe rolls her eyes. "Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. Tell Patrick I say hi."

"Do you want me to bring you a drink?"

"No, thanks, though," Chloe says.

The shower's exactly what she needs after the long day, what with Kinley and confronting a murderer, and she's more relaxed than she's been since Kinley first called her when she shrugs on pajamas. It's just a tank top and shorts, but she's gotten over feeling insecure about it after the way Lucifer responded to it the first time. And the second time. And the twenty-fifth time. 

When she walks into the living room, Lucifer's looking over the bookshelves. He's already got a suit on, and she'd be impressed if she didn't suspect angelic abilities were somehow involved.

"Everything okay downstairs?" she asks, sitting down in the comfortable armchair she'd insisted come with them to the penthouse even though Lucifer pointed out how little it matched the rest of the aesthetic. 

"What? Yes, of course," Lucifer says, and without a clue as to why, the hairs on the back of Chloe's neck stand up.

It'd be weird to stand up right after sitting down, and she's not sure what's wrong anyway, so she tries to stay casual, looking around the apartment. Could Kinley have broken in? No, Maze is probably still patrolling. Maze? But Chloe hasn't been scared of her since a long, drunken conversation about demons and Hell and Maze's childhood. 

"Good," Chloe says, a little too late to be natural, and Lucifer turns and smiles at her.

It's the wide, almost lecherous smile from early in their partnership, and Chloe is suddenly _convinced_ this isn't her husband. No one told her about any shapeshifters, but hey, Hell's real, it's not that much of a stretch. 

Not-Lucifer doesn't seem to have noticed the way she's tensed up, and says, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?" she asks.

"Kinley," he says, just a touch condescending. "That's why you're scared, right?"

She sighs, forces her shoulders to relax. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. It's just--I don't know what he _wants,_ you know?"

Not-Lucifer nods. "Perhaps we should meet with him."

Chloe resolves to never meet with him, regardless of what he promises. Next time he asks, she's sending Maze. (Maybe not, but she's mad.) "You think so?"

"It can't hurt to find out what he knows," Not-Lucifer says, and it sounds so reasonable. "Don't you agree?"

"You're not wrong," she says, hoping her irritation comes across as reluctance. "Hey, would you grab me that blanket from over there? I'm a little cold."

It's a bald-faced lie; it's probably almost 80 degrees in here, with how high up they are, and she's in shorts, not naked. His eyes catch on her shoulders anyway before snapping back up to her face.

"Of course," he says, grabbing one of Trixie's blankets. Chloe tells herself she can laugh at the way a celestial imposter's bringing her a My Little Pony blanket later, after she's gotten out of here.

But it's clear he isn't expecting any threat from her, because the way he approaches her is so open, so undefended, and Chloe's never been one to let an opportunity go to waste. So she jabs him, quick and sure, in the throat. It's not enough to kill a human and probably not enough to stop any non-human for longer than a few seconds, but that's all she needs.

Sure enough, he staggers back but doesn't fall, and Chloe throws the blanket over his head for an extra second before bolting towards the elevator.

She hits the button over and over, hoping that somehow it'll come faster, but whoever walked in here stops coughing after far-too-short a time, and she can't hear footsteps, and she's resigning herself to a bloody fight with whoever the fuck this is when the doors open. Chloe's about to dart in, but Lucifer's in there, tilting a brow and looking just the right mix of debauched and utterly confident.

"Someone's here," she says, pulling him into the apartment. "Looks like you."

"What?" Lucifer says, posture shifting from her husband into the ageless former King in an instant.

When Chloe turns, the imposter's sitting in her armchair, smiling widely at them both.

"Brother," he says, accent American. "It's been quite awhile."

"Michael," Lucifer says, and his tone is _dangerous_ in a way that Chloe remembers from confronting Cain. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to make sure you're safe, of course," Michael says. "Besides, you never did introduce us to the missus."

"Chloe, Micheal. Michael, the door." Lucifer's posture has relaxed, like he's not expecting to be attacked, and Chloe studies Michael.

His body language is different, now that he's not trying to imitate Lucifer. His shoulder leans a little, and he's clearly much more on edge than Lucifer. She's not sure if it's aggression or a lack of confidence on his part.

"Why the harsh reception?" Michael asks, standing. "I haven't done anything to hurt you."

"Was that you, earlier?" Chloe says, dots connecting. "I thought Lucifer was acting a little strange."

Michael's grin shifts a little, gaze calculating. "You really _are_ clever, Detective. Of course, that's the problem."

"I'd ask what you're talking about, but I really don't care," Lucifer says. "Michael, _leave_ , or else I'll remind you which of us always won in the Silver City."

Michael's grin drops into a grimace quick enough that Chloe wonders if it's an affectation. "I'm here _for_ you, brother. So ungrateful."

Lucifer rolls his eyes. "What, to warn me to stay away from Chloe? Mother tried that and failed, what makes you think _you'll_ have any success?"

"Because I'm not worried that she'll hurt you or something like that," Michael says. "You know this can't last."

"I did make a promise," Lucifer says. "And you _know_ I keep my word."

"Death do us part," Chloe says.

"Yes," Michael says. "And Lucifer, where is it that you think she's going?"

Lucifer tenses beside her. "We've years before that happens."

"Sure, if you ignore the clearly-homicidal priest," Michael says, and Chloe has been worried about Kinley. "Or the fact that you let her do one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Or even just the way our Father works!"

"Get out," Lucifer says, growling more than speaking, and when Chloe looks up at him, his eyes are red.

"I'm just worried about you," Michael says, and the concern's bullshit, but there's something he's worried about, Chloe can tell, she's just not sure what. "Both of you. This will only end in tragedy."

"Let us worry about that," Chloe says. "Now get out."

Michael shrugs, brings his wings out, and disappears all in under a second.

"He visited you in the precinct?" Lucifer says, tone still calm like a rip current. 

"You were annoyed about taking so long, but it was--I mean, seconds," Chloe says. "I thought you were just pranking Dan or something."

"Not the worst idea," Lucifer says. "That's unlike him, though. Risking being seen impersonating me. He's all about the big picture manipulations. Tries to be, anyway. He's nothing compared to Father."

"Hey," Chloe says. "We'll figure it out. It's probably the same reason Kinley's here, right?"

"Cut off one head, cut them all?"

"Sure," Chloe says, who remembers the myth of the Hydra quite differently, but he's the expert.

Still, she notes the way he worries over her the rest of that night, the way he glances over and looks away before she can meet his eyes every time she mentions work, how he sits between her and the nearest entrance, the tension around his eyes.

"It'll be okay," she says again, when they're trying to sleep. He smiles at her, and doesn't say anything, which is his way of admitting he doesn't believe her without having to admit it at all. 


	5. our mojo

For the rest of the week, Chloe's got this twist in her gut. It spoils things that should be hers, should be nice--Trixie smiles at her and all she can think of is _there is someone who wants something from us who has her step-dad's face,_ Ella gushes about something Candy did and she can't smile convincingly enough for Ella to not frown and ask "you doing okay?", Lucifer makes a face at her from across the precinct where the new lieutenant is lecturing about the rules and Chloe thinks _we are not safe we are not safe we are not safe_.

It's not Michael's powers, since she's a _miracle_ , which is annoying, because if it was, at least she'd have an excuse. As it is, she's as upset with herself for being upset as she is with being upset in general. Linda says it's irrational, but Chloe can't help it.

They've only been threatened once, for fuck's sake, this should be nothing compared to Pierce. And _yet_. 

She snaps at a uni about something that honestly isn't that big of a deal, and Lucifer steps in and is perfectly sweet and charming and defuses the tension before it can escalate into anything other than a bad start to both of their mornings. The case is a simple one--DNA under the fingernails, cursory, panicked attempt at cleaning up that suggests a crime of passion. 

"I've got a good hunch this guy'll be in the system," Ella says brightly once they step outside. "No evidence or anything, just a guess!"

"We should still investigate," Chloe says, consciously resisting the urge to bite her nails like she hasn't since she was 12 years old. Her agent (more accurately, her mom's agent) helped her break the habit. "I don't want to fall behind if you're wrong."

"There's not much to investigate," Lucifer says. Ella frowns at both of them, and Chloe's smile in response is probably wholly unconvincing, judging from the way Ella's frown only deepens. "Our victim was estranged from his family, no presence on social media, neighbors said he was polite but distant. Best plan is to wait on DNA anyway."

Chloe wants to scream, but there's not really anywhere she can go, so she says, "Fuck. Yeah, okay. Fine."

She expects Lucifer to take her hand, just because he generally does, but he wraps an arm around her shoulders as they walk away. It's better, honestly; she needs the contact right now. She can smell his cologne, surprisingly strong and unsurprisingly expensive, and takes a deep breath as they get in the car to ground her. Ella waves at them as the car pulls away, and Chloe waves back half-heartedly.

"I'm worrying her," Chloe says with a little frown. "Everyone."

"Probably not Maze," Lucifer says, and Chloe shoots him a sidelong glare. "Have you seen her lately?"

"No, but I know she's still patrolling the penthouse," Chloe says, sinking back into her chair. "There's always green tea coconut water cans in the trash."

"Do you want her to stop?" Lucifer asks, tone careful like he's worried about her too. It's aggravating in a way Chloe can't and doesn't want to articulate. She's not fine, obviously, but--fuck.

"No," Chloe admits after a too-long moment. "It's good, knowing she's there. She can hold her own with Michael, right?"

"Yes," Lucifer says. "As I've told you before, I believe."

"I know," Chloe says, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. "Just...ugh."

Lucifer makes a vague _mmhm_ sound that could mean anything, and Chloe worries, suddenly, that she's being too anxious, too worried, too type A. It's a fear that hasn't reared its head in _months_ , but hey, freaking out's kind of the theme of the hour now.

"Sorry, I know I've been really--" Chloe waves her hand vaguely.

"It's fine, Detective," Lucifer says, confused. "I'd be more worried if you were fine with everything. My brother's power is literally fear."

"Yeah, but that shouldn't affect me," Chloe groans. "It just doesn't make any sense. I mean, it's been what, three weeks since your brother showed up? A month? And he and Kinley haven't done anything. It just--"

"Doesn't make sense," Lucifer says. "I'm sure he's just trying to get this exact reaction from us, Detective. My brother's just talk."

"Is Kinley?" Chloe asks. Lucifer doesn't answer. "I'm sorry, I'm just freaking out a little. You were right, earlier. Nothing to do for this case but wait. So what do you want to do?"

Lucifer smirks at her. "As always--"

"I set myself up for that one," Chloe says with a little sigh. "Seriously, though." She sits up, gets her posture as close to _Lucinda_ as possible, and says, "What do you _truly_ desire right now?"

There's this odd beat, and then Lucifer says, "To punch Michael in the face for doing this to you."

Chloe's about to say something like _that's sweet_ or _not quite what I was getting at_ , but then there's a loud honking from the lane next to them and Lucifer sharply corrects his steering.

That's weird. For all Chloe complains about his dreaming, Lucifer's reflexes are quick enough that they avoid these sort of everyday driving issues.

"What was that about?" Chloe asks, looking out the window to where an angry woman with a severe bob haircut flips them off from her own car.

"Detective," Lucifer says, sounding strained, and Chloe switches into cop mode as soon as she sees the panic on his face.

"Is it Michael?" she asks, still unsure of how angel things work. "Kinley?"

"Ask again," Lucifer says, hands white-knuckled around the steering wheel. "Please."

"Is it--"

"Not that," Lucifer says, and Chloe can hear his teeth grinding from here. "Ask again."

Chloe thinks back, and then she feels her heart drop to somewhere around her knees. "What the fuck?"

Lucifer laughs, tight and bitter. "Not that I don't agree with the sentiment, but--"

"What do you desire?" she asks, and barely a heartbeat passes before he says, "To know what the hell is going on."

The car doesn't nearly crash this time, but they're both silent the rest of the drive back to the penthouse. Whatever's happening, this isn't a conversation that they should have in a vehicle going 60 miles per hour on an LA street. Neither of them would survive it, unless the ensuing accident threw Lucifer far enough away that he wasn't vulnerable anymore.

A valet takes their keys, and Patrick waves at them as they walk through the bar, and as soon as the elevator doors close, Chloe says, "Please tell me you were messing with me."

"Was I?" he says, and she puts her head back in her hands and groans.

"Fuck. Something _else_ to deal with. Unless--could Michael do this, somehow?"

"It does seem up his alley," Lucifer says, shoulders relaxing by a fraction. "Though this isn't his power."

"Fear, right? Could one of your other siblings be helping?"

"None of them can do this either," Lucifer says. "No one should be able to. Our powers are _ours_ , they work on every human. Except--"

"Me," Chloe says. "Wait, can I--does this mean I finally have powers?"

"Because you stole mine?" Lucifer says, and the elevator doors open. He rushes to the bar, pours himself a drink. His hands aren't shaking, at least.

"It's not like I meant to," Chloe says. "Besides, are you sure it's stolen, not shared?"

Lucifer finishes his drink in one go, and says, "What, that we _both_ have my mojo?"

"Our mojo," she says, and he makes a face at her but doesn't disagree. "Maybe it works on me now, too."

At that, he stands up to his full height and smirks at her, and the shiver that goes up her spine has nothing to do with his powers, probably. " _Well_ , then. Detective, what do you truly desire?"

His voice is a caress, practically a physical thing, but after a long beat, she shrugs. "I mean, I guess to figure out what's happening, too. But no dice."

"Damn," Lucifer says. Chloe can practically see him building up his walls around himself again as he leans back down.

"Hey, don't do that," Chloe says, belatedly stepping out of the elevator and towards the bar. 

"Drink? It barely even does anything for me, Detective," he says with a sardonic grin.

"No," Chloe says, and risks a hand on his face. He leans into it, smile fading. "Cut me out of this. We're in this _together_ , okay? For better or worse."

Lucifer doesn't exactly relax, but he sighs, needlessly dramatic, and says, "Well, I suppose I never break a promise."

Chloe laughs a little, more relieved than happy, and goes up on her toes to press a kiss to the cheek she's not holding. He turns at the last second so they're just kissing, and she'd pull back to glare at him if she had enough energy to pretend she cares. She can tell from the curve of his mouth that he's being smug about it, but whatever. As long as they're both happy. 

* * *

Lucifer's still complaining about the loss of his mojo when they head back to the precinct. The DNA results won't be there yet--it takes ages to process, even with Ella pushing things along--but they should still go through what, if anything, the unis were able to get from the witnesses. 

"Why don't you test it and see if it works?" Chloe says, trying to keep her tone nice.

Lucifer scoffs. "If you can do it, and I can't--"

"It doesn't work on _me_ ," she says. "It never did, though, right?"

Lucifer stops spinning his chair for one second. "Hm. That's true."

"Go on, go try on someone," Chloe says, nodding at one of the unis.

"Joan? Please, she'll just say a nap or some drugs or something," Lucifer says, looking over the precinct until his eyes catch on someone. "Be right back."

Chloe follows his gaze. "Lucifer, stop, leave him--"

Lucifer, true to form, ignores her and continues on to Dan, whose expression shifts from relatively-chill to what-the-fuck-is-going-on in 0.2 seconds flat. "Daniel," Lucifer says, voice practically a purr.

"Dude," Dan pleads.

"I just have a question, Daniel," Lucifer says, making a mock-offended face. "Why do you assume the worst of me?"

Dan shakes his head, unable to answer with everyone around. Lucifer grins like the cat that got in the cream.

"Well?" Dan asks, finally, when he realizes Lucifer would be content to just sit and annoy him for awhile. "You had a question?"

"What do you _truly_ desire?" Lucifer asks, and Dan groans a little, shakes his head.

Lucifer's face starts to fall when Dan finally answers, "For the world to go back to normal."

"Boring," Lucifer says, though he's smiling in a way that's so genuine Dan seems even more worried, like he's not sure what the catch is. He has a bounce in his step the rest of the way back to Chloe's desk.

"So I can just mojo people now?" Chloe says. "We both can?"

"Suppose so," Lucifer says. "Though it's unbelievable you can mojo me but I can't mojo you. I mean, I knew my father was unfair already, but this is a new low."

Chloe shrugs. "I don't know. It's cool to have powers." She's trying to stay casual about it, but...it is pretty cool. "Besides, you already have, like, a thousand years of experience on me, I can't get this _one_ edge?"

"Hardly _one_ ," Lucifer mutters, though he doesn't sound upset so much as stubborn.

After that, he helps her with paperwork, though his help is questionable and he stops to grin at Dan every time he passes. They don't get any actual detective work done, as Lucifer loudly complains and Chloe privately agrees, but the pile of paperwork that's been accumulating on her desk ever since Kinley walked into the precinct is almost completely gone. It's practically a weight off Chloe's shoulders.

"C'mon, let's go home," Chloe says, stretching. Lucifer gets up and offers her a sweet-but-ultimately-unnecessary hand that she takes. When he helps her up, he pulls her practically right into his arms, and her lips quirk up involuntarily. He stands up a little higher, smiling down at her.

"Shut up," she mumbles, though she can't bring herself to mind too much. 

"No idea what you mean," Lucifer says, gaze warm despite the smirk on his face. 

"Hey, guys!" Ella says.

Chloe jumps. "God, you scared me."

Lucifer rolls his eyes at the mention of his father as Ella winces sympathetically. "Sorry! Didn't mean to."

"Do you have those DNA results?" Chloe says. "That's soon even for you."

"Well, Edrisa _is_ a powerhouse in the lab, but no, not why I'm here," Ella says with a little self-deprecating grin.

There's a brief pause. "So...why _are_ you here, if you don't mind my asking?" Lucifer asks, eyes narrowed.

Ella frowns. "Just wanted to see how you guys are! We've barely spent any time together since the reveal that you have a _twin_? What? And I had to find out from Eve!"

"Eve?" Lucifer says, bristling a little.

Ella shakes her head. "Stop being so suspicious, dude, she was just complaining because Maze hasn't been by their place that much. If Candy ignored me for that long, I'd be upset too!"

Chloe feels a twinge of guilt at asking Maze to patrol. She's sure the demon doesn't _mind_ , but...still. She'd be pissed if someone dragged Lucifer away from her for that long early in their relationship, too. "I'd say she can go home, but..."

"No, oh my God--or, not God, but--well, you know what I mean! I completely get it, I'd freak out if Candy had an evil doppelganger, too." She pauses. "That's not, like, a thing, is it?"

"No," Lucifer says. "Not in this universe, anyway."

"Sheesh, that's a relief," Ella says, before Lucifer's words process. "What do you mean, _this_ universe?"

"I guarantee that conversation is going to be more complicated than you're expecting," Lucifer says, not unkindly. Chloe feels the not-unfamiliar urge to lie down on the floor and yell until the world resembles the one she thought it was a year ago. 

"Uh," Ella says. "You know what? I'm actually gonna leave now and go to date night with Candy, and I'm going to pretend we didn't talk about this for now! See you guys!"

"Bye, Ella," Chloe says, briefly letting go of Lucifer to pull the other woman into a quick hug. 

"You know, I do believe Miss Lopez might actually _enjoy_ learning about other universes," Lucifer says calmly. "I can guarantee she'd find at least one other Earth--"

"Nope," Chloe says. "Moratorium on celestial things for tonight. Trixie said tonight was movie night, remember?"

"How your offspring manages to take even things like cinema and twist them for her own enjoyment, I'll never understand," Lucifer says with a put-upon sigh, as if he didn't get equally as invested in the Barbie movie marathon as Trixie did.

"Come on," Chloe says, tugging him towards the exit. Lucifer waves at Dan as they pass, and Dan flips him off, and Charlotte immediately glares at him for flipping Lucifer off. Chloe makes a face at him, trying to convey sympathy. From his expression, it doesn't work.

There's still that twist in her gut, like things aren't quite okay yet, but she's starting to think they will be. Eventually. 

**Author's Note:**

> here we go againnnn. this one's better plotted out than can we surrender was so HOPEFULLY. there will be far less long breaks. that being said, i'm working almost full-time and being a full-time student, so there will likely be around two weeks between each update. comments are always lovely, and i hope everyone who reads this is having a great day!


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